Ellis '13 leads women's lacrosse and looks forward to World Cup

On Saturday, Sam Ellis ’13 had her fourth collegiate hat trick in a 11-9 victory over Harvard that clinched an Ivy League Tournament bid for the women’s lacrosse team. The senior attacker’s biggest goal of the game came with 1:24 left to play in the first half, when Ellis scored to tie the Crimson at 4-4. This summer, Ellis will try to build on the success that she has had at Princeton and make her mark in international lacrosse with the Israeli women’s national team. On March 25 the Israel Lacrosse Association announced the 2013 Women’s World Cup roster, made up of 10 Israelis and 10 Americans, one of whom was Ellis. She will play for the squad at the Federation of International Lacrosse’s Women’s World Cup, July 11-20 in Canada. It is the first time that Israel will have a women’s national lacrosse team. “It’s really cool to play a part in growing a sport, because this is the first team in Israel,” Ellis said. “You’re dedicating your time to this country and doing something for your religion, which is something that’s so meaningful. So I’m in the process right now of getting citizenship so I can be over there and play for the country and do my part to help spread the word for lacrosse.” But for Ellis, participating in the World Cup means far more than making an impact in women’s lacrosse. Her maternal grandparents, who were Holocaust survivors, met in Auschwitz where they were both interred. “I know that they would just be so proud.” Ellis said. “They were such strong people to make it through that camp.” Between the time he got out of the camps and immigrated to America, Ellis’ grandfather played for the German national soccer team. “It is kind of strange that he played, but that’s where my mom says I get my athleticism from,” Ellis said. Ellis will travel to Israel to train with the team in the first week in July. The squad will then fly to Toronto before their first matchup against Germany on July 11. Ellis said she is excited for the “unbelievable experience” and knows that her grandparents would be happy that she will be a part of the experience. “I just want to do something for them, in memory of them, and keep their spirit alive,” she said. Quick takes For the second consecutive year, the WOMEN’S WATER POLO won the Southern Division championship. The No. 1 seeded Tigers swept Saturday bracket play with a 13-4 win over No. 5 seed Bucknell and a 16-2 victory over No. 4 seed George Washington. Princeton breezed through the title game against second seeded Brown in a 12-4 win, clinching a spot in the Eastern Championship at the end of April. In the tournament, Princeton outscored its opponents 41-10. The No. 50 Princeton MEN’S TENNIS team suffered its first Ivy League loss this season to No. 19 Harvard. The Crimson took the doubles point after winning the first two matches, and clinched the victory after winning four of the first five singles matches. The match broke the tie between the two in Ivy League standings, moving Harvard to the top with an undefeated record and relegating Princeton to second. On Sunday, Princeton had more luck, picking up a 5-2 win over No. 70 Dartmouth. WOMEN’S TENNIS also had a packed Ivy schedule this weekend, winning three straight singles matches on Saturday against Harvard to come back and take the 4-3 victory. The next day, however, Dartmouth picked up this first Ivy win over the Tigers, as Princeton fell 4-3 to the Big Green on the road. Two Tigers set program records for the WOMEN’S TRACK AND FIELD team at the Patriot Open Invitational at George Mason on Saturday. Imani Oliver ’14 broke her own record in the triple jump, shaving .03 meters off of her old posting to win the event with 12.71. In the 400 meters, sophomore Cecelia Barowski’s time of 54.30 knocked down a 6-year-old record set by Agatha Offorjebe ’09.